Hairbrush with retractable bristles

ABSTRACT

A hairbrush with retractable bristles that is easy to use and maintain. The hairbrush includes a case with an open top. An outer planar cover that has apertures dispersed through its area fixes over the open top of the case. An inner plate that has the bunches of bristles embedded is encased within the case and can move towards the outer cover to push the bunches of bristles outwards through the apertures. The inner plate can be retracted to retract the bunches of bristles.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

The present application claims priority from a U.S. Provisional patent application No. 63/211,516 filed on Jun. 16, 2021, which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.

FIELD OF INVENTION

The present invention relates to a hairbrush and more particularly, the present invention relates to a hairbrush with retractable bristles.

BACKGROUND

Hairbrushes are common in day-to-day life for combing the hair in a tidy manner. Keeping the hairbrushes clean can be a hard and frustrating job. While combing the hairs, broken hairs get entangled in the bristles of the hairbrush. Moreover, the bristles may also capture debris and fibers during storage. Removing, the entangled hairs and fibers, and the debris requires significant efforts.

A need is therefore appreciated for a device that can help clean the bristles of hairbrushes and prevent the deposition of fibers and debris onto the hairbrushes during storage.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The following presents a simplified summary of one or more embodiments of the present invention to provide a basic understanding of such embodiments. This summary is not an extensive overview of all contemplated embodiments and is intended to neither identify critical elements of all embodiments nor delineate the scope of any or all embodiments. Its sole purpose is to present some concepts of one or more embodiments in a simplified form as a prelude to the more detailed description that is presented later.

The principal object of the present invention is therefore directed to a hairbrush with retractable bristles.

It is another object of the present invention that the bristles get cleaned off entangled hairs and fibers when retracting the bristles.

It is another object of the present invention that the bristles do not catch dust while in storage.

It is still another object of the present invention that the hairbrush can be easily customized.

It is yet another object of the present invention that the hairbrush is easy to use.

It is a further object of the present invention that the hairbrush is economical to manufacture.

In one aspect, disclosed is a hairbrush comprising a case that has an open top; an outer cover configured to fix over the open top of the case, the outer cover has a plurality of apertures dispersed throughout an area of the outer cover for the bunches of bristles to pass through; and an inner plate to which the bunches of bristles are embedded, the inner plate is configured to move inwards and outwards within the case, wherein the inward movement of the inner plate retracts the bunches of bristles, and the outward movement of the inner plate pushes the bunches of bristles outwards through the plurality of apertures. The outer cover is curved to be of a concave shape matching contours of a head. The hairbrush further comprises a slider button that protrudes from a wall of the case, wherein the slider button is operably coupled to the inner plate, wherein actuation of the slider button causes the inner plate to move inwards and outwards. The plurality of apertures is configured to allow the bunches of bristles to freely pass through. The case and the outer cover are oval. A height of the case is less than a width of the case. The tip portions of the bunches of the bristles remain protruded outwards from the outer cover when the inner plate is fully retracted

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The accompanying figures, which are incorporated herein, form part of the specification and illustrate embodiments of the present invention. Together with the description, the figures further explain the principles of the present invention and to enable a person skilled in the relevant arts to make and use the invention.

FIG. 1 is a side view of the hairbrush showing a case, bristles, and a slide button, according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 shows the case, according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 shows an outer cover that has apertures for the bristles to pass through, according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 4A is a side view of an inner plate that can have embedded bunches of the bristles, according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 4B is a perspective view of the plate, according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 5 shows the slide button, according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Subject matter will now be described more fully hereinafter. Subject matter may, however, be embodied in a variety of different forms and, therefore, covered or claimed subject matter is intended to be construed as not being limited to any exemplary embodiments set forth herein; exemplary embodiments are provided merely to be illustrative. Likewise, a reasonably broad scope for claimed or covered subject matter is intended. Among other things, for example, the subject matter may be embodied as apparatus and methods of use thereof. The following detailed description is, therefore, not intended to be taken in a limiting sense.

The word “exemplary” is used herein to mean “serving as an example, instance, or illustration.” Any embodiment described herein as “exemplary” is not necessarily to be construed as preferred or advantageous over other embodiments. Likewise, the term “embodiments of the present invention” does not require that all embodiments of the invention include the discussed feature, advantage, or mode of operation.

The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to be limiting of embodiments of the invention. As used herein, the singular forms “a”, “an” and “the” are intended to include the plural forms as well, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. It will be further understood that the terms “comprises”, “comprising,”, “includes” and/or “including”, when used herein, specify the presence of stated features, integers, steps, operations, elements, and/or components, but do not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, integers, steps, operations, elements, components, and/or groups thereof.

The following detailed description includes the best currently contemplated mode or modes of carrying out exemplary embodiments of the invention. The description is not to be taken in a limiting sense but is made merely for the purpose of illustrating the general principles of the invention, since the scope of the invention will be best defined by the allowed claims of any resulting patent.

The following detailed description is described with reference to the drawings, wherein like reference numerals are used to refer to like elements throughout. In the following description, for purposes of explanation, specific details may be set forth in order to provide a thorough understanding of the subject innovation. It may be evident, however, that the claimed subject matter may be practiced without these specific details. In other instances, well-known structures and apparatus are shown in block diagram form in order to facilitate describing the subject innovation. Moreover, the drawings may not be to scale.

Disclosed is a hairbrush with retractable bristles that is easy to use and economical to manufacture. The hairbrush can be cleaned off by retracting the bristles using an easy-to-use slider button. Referring to FIGS. 1-5 shows a perspective view of the disclosed hairbrush 100. The hairbrush 100 can include a case 110, an outer cover 120, and bristles 115 protruding from the apertures 125 in the outer cover 120. FIG. 2 shows the case that is open at the top and is oval. The case is slightly curved to be of a concave shape that can match the contours of the head. The case can be made of any rigid material, such as plastic or metal. Preferably, lightweight materials can be used, such as plastic or aluminum. The case can be provided in a range of colors. Moreover, designs and indicium can be applied to the outer surface of the case for aesthetic appearance. Also, the case is shown of oval shape, however, the case of any other shape is within the scope of the present invention, for example, square and rectangular cases.

Referring to FIG. 3 shows an exemplary embodiment of the outer cover 120. The outer cover can be fixed to the open top of the case. The outer cover can also be curved to correspond to the curved top of the case. The outer cover can have multiple apertures 125 dispersed throughout an area of the outer cover. The apertures allow the bunches of bristles to pass through. The outer cover can be made of the same material or different material as that of the case.

Referring to FIGS. 4A and 4B show an inner plate 130 that can be encased within the case of the hairbrush. The inner plate can include multiple bunches of bristles dispersed throughout a top area of the inner plate. These bunches of bristles can protrude outwards from the apertures 125 in the outer cover 120. The inner plate can move away and towards the outer cover and within the case. Moving the inner plate away from the outer cover retracts the bunches of bristles, however, the tip portions of the bunches of bristles may remain protruded from the outer cover when the inner plate is fully retracted. When the inner plate is moved outwards, the bunches of bristles can also protrude outwards from the apertures 125. Alternatively, small tubes or sleeves can be provided that extend inwards from the periphery of each aperture in the outer cover and the tip of the bunches of bristles can remain within the tubes when the inner plate is fully retracted. The shape of the inner plate can also correspond to the shape of the outer cover.

A button 140, as shown in FIG. 5 , can also be provided that protrudes from the case 110. The button can be a slider button that can be operated to move the inner plate 130 outwards and inwards. For example, the button can be slid right to move the inner plate outwards and moving the button on left can cause the inner plate to retract. The button can have suitable ridges 145 to enhance the grip or friction for sliding the button using a fingertip or a thumb. The button can be connected to the inner plate using a suitable mechanism, such as a slider, racks, pinion, and a shaft. Any other mechanism for actuating the inner plate inwards and outwards is within the scope of the present invention. A suitable lock can also be provided to prevent movement of the inner plate, such that the slider butting can be slightly pushed to unlock the slide mechanism.

While the foregoing written description of the invention enables one of ordinary skill to make and use what is considered presently to be the best mode thereof, those of ordinary skill will understand and appreciate the existence of variations, combinations, and equivalents of the specific embodiment, method, and examples herein. The invention should therefore not be limited by the above-described embodiment, method, and examples, but by all embodiments and methods within the scope and spirit of the invention as claimed. 

What is claimed is:
 1. A hairbrush comprising: a case that has an open top; an outer cover configured to fix over the open top of the case, the outer cover has a plurality of apertures dispersed throughout an area of the outer cover for bunches of bristles to pass through; and an inner plate to which the bunches of bristles are embedded, the inner plate is configured to move inwards and outwards within the case, wherein the inward movement of the inner plate retracts the bunches of bristles, and the outward movement of the inner plate pushes the bunches of bristles outwards through the plurality of apertures.
 2. The hairbrush according to claim 1, wherein the outer cover is curved to be of a concave shape matching contours of a head.
 3. The hairbrush according to claim 1, wherein the hairbrush further comprises: a slider button that protrudes from a wall of the case, wherein the slider button is operably coupled to the inner plate, wherein actuation of the slider button causes the inner plate to move inwards and outwards.
 4. The hairbrush according to claim 1, wherein the plurality of apertures are configured to allow the bunches of bristles to freely pass through.
 5. The hairbrush cording to claim 2, wherein the case and the outer cover are oval.
 6. The hairbrush according to claim 1, wherein a height of the case is less than a width of the case.
 7. The hairbrush according to claim 1, wherein tip portions of the bunches of bristles remain protruded outwards from the outer cover when the inner plate is fully retracted. 